1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for management of the amount of use of software and a memory medium having a facility for management of the same, more particularly such a system and medium which use a software memory medium unit for storing software and a management-use memory medium unit for writing at least regulatory information showing the limit of use of software, which permit use of the software only within the range of the regulatory information, which reflect into the regulatory information of the management-use memory medium unit the amount of use of software each time the software is used, and which restrict the amount of use of the software after that based on the regulatory information processed to reflect use.
In general, a large amount of time and effort is required for development of the software used for computers, but copies themselves are easy to make. Large numbers of copies of software are made in violation of the software usage agreements between the software vendors and their agents (hereinafter referred to as "independent software vendors (ISV) etc.) and the software users. This creates a situation conducive to unauthorized use of software.
This situation causes reduced sales of software and therefore cuts into the profits which rightfully should accrue to the software vendors and thus, in turn, dampens the enthusiasm for development on the part of the software vendors, so in the past there has been a demand for development of some technical means enabling prevention of such unauthorized use of software separate and apart from the protection of software by copyrights. The present invention answers this demand.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, one means for stopping unauthorized use of software was to incorporate computer identification information into both of the computer and software, that is, to provide computer identification information unique to each set of a computer and a corresponding software.
When using the software, the computer identification information written in the computer and the software were read out and the software made available for use only when the two matched.
Therefore, even if a copy was made from the authorized software, that copy could only be used by the computer specified as meant for use with that software. This enabled prevention of authorized use of copies of software on a large number of computers of the same model.
In this way, the previous system for prevention of unauthorized use of software was based on linkage of the computer and software. As a result, however, even the authorized owner of the software ended up being prevented from using the software on a computer of the same model but with a different computer identification information at a location different from the one with the specific computer linked with the software.
This meant that the inherent advantage of use of software, that is, the "spatial convenience" of being able to use the same software at another computer of the same type at a different location, was impaired. Further, it hindered use in cases where the software was allowed to be used by a large number of users under the terms of an agreement with the software vendor. This presented problems in the past.